A group of investigators headed by scientists at the Translational Genomics Research Institute have found a way to identify suspects at crime scenes using only a small amount of DNA, even if it is mixed with hundreds of other fingerprints. Using genotyping microarrays, the scientists were able to identify an individuals DNA from within a mix of different samples, even if that individual represented less than 0.1% of the total cobination, or less than one part per thousand. They were able to do this even when the mix of DNA included more than 200 individual samples.The discovery could help police inspectors better identify possible suspects, even when dozens of people over time have been at a certain crime scene. It also could help reassess previous crime scene evidence, and it could have other uses statistical and genetic analysis. Currently, it is difficult for forensic investigators to detect an individual if their genomic DNA is less than 10% of a mix, or if it is from a large mix of DNA material. It was believed that an individual could not be identified in pooled data, this new discovery helps to solve that assumption.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080828220505.htm
2 comments:
I found Oliver's review of the article very helpful in providing strong insights into the original article. This allowed me to understand his point of view and what his major points about the article were. Ibelieve that because this review of the article was so well written, it allowed me to be able to truly understand its purpose and how it pertains to forensic science. Furthermore, this review contained quite a hefty amount of information, which I might add, was very well displayed, which enabled me to get a good deal of knowledge from it, without having to read the entire article itself. Although the review was in stellar condition, there were some few minor points for improvement. First and foremost, the language used was somewhat confusing and could have been written with more care for the reader, making it easier for them to understand. Also, the tone the review was written was not very engaging, and although the information provided was gripping, the method in which it was written was dull and uninteresting. However, with that all said and done, I must bring to attention one aspect of the review that particularly astounded me: the fact that only 0.1% of the total combination is needed to identify it is astounding. Such a small amount of a DNA sequence to identify a person is incredible. Despite its few errors and small areas for improvement, it was an excellent review.
This article was very well done. Oliver did a good job of explaining the detail of this new technology discovered by scientist at the Translational Geonomics Reasearch Instititue. Another thing that I thought was well presented was the way the application of this technique to foresic science was presented. The article thoughouly explains how DNA can be examined from previous crime scenes or even after they are contaminated. Lastly, I liked the way the article was written, and organized. Some things that I might suggest to be improved, would be adding a timeline for the implimentation of this process, and if it is realistic to have in police departments across the globe. I also agree with david that it is remarkable how little DNA is neccesary to create a DNA profile. Overall this was a great review.
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